The YMCA

The YMCA here is much bigger than in CA. All of the sports camps that Jake does, Tanner's soccer, the basketball program, swim lessons, etc... are all through the Y. We have been really impressed by their programs and especially with their coaches (who wear t-shirts that say "Professional Role Model"). They are mostly high school students and I haven't met one yet that wasn't great. There are multiple locations here that have really nice, fully equipped gyms with childcare and indoor pools with slides, pilates, yoga, weights, etc...

We decided to join for a few months this summer to try it out since we get half price on all of the camps we signed Jake up for, and Tanner/Faith's swim lessons- so financially it was kind of a wash. So far we love it. It's not very convenient for a workday workout, as it is downtown, but on the weekends we can take the kids and drop them at childcare for an hour or two while we get a good workout in, then feed them lunch and head to the pool. The boys LOVE the big slides there- even Tanner went on it alone yesterday. And with the

current weather being more like winter than spring, it is a great place to get some energy out.

They just finished building a resident

camp up in Cascade (about 1.5 hours away) - the first one built this side of the Mississippi in 50 years- it was kind of a big deal here. Anyway, we signed up to do family camp in July. Three nights camping with a dining hall, activities like canoe,kayak, archery, crafts, swimming, etc... and evening programs. I think the kids will love it. Reminds me of the Indian Princess camps we used to do when I was little.

Anyway, if we can swing it we'd like to remain members while the kids are young- with the hope that when they get older they could become the "professional role models" themselves or lifeguards or camp counselors. I know that's a long way off- but instilling the values now and starting them thinking of that early can't hurt, right?

Vegas Nights 1, 2, and 3

The kids were troopers and after taking long afternoon naps we kept them out until all hours. No one was in bed before 10 the entire trip. Poor Grandma Mary and Auntie Sue! They are usually early to bed early to rise, but this week they were late to bed but STILL early to rise!

The first night was all about exploring the Luxor, Excalibur, and Mandalay Bay- which are all connected by tram. Auntie Sue took Faith and Tanner into a toy store while I ordered dinner and out wandered Faith with animal #1 of the trip. When I gave Auntie Sue a stern look and reminded her that she does not need to buy the kids any toys on this trip, she told me that she had to get this one. Faith apparently picked it up, hugged it to her chest and said, "He's purple and white and I WUV him!" So she told the boys they could each pick out one toy on the trip, too. Hence began our five days of looking through tourist shops for the perfect pick. Tanner ended up getting a glow-in-the-dark pirate t-shirt from NYNY. Jake picked out (surprise, surprise) a small leather ESPN football from the ESPN Zone, also in NYNY.

Monday night was date night for Brian and I. Grandma Mary and Auntie Sue took care of the kids while we went out to a nice dinner, drinks, and dessert at Mandalay Bay. It was great to have the time alone and we were so grateful to those two for making the night so fun for the kids. I guess the only glitch was when they entered the elevator and the lights all went out. Nobody freaked out, but for the rest of the trip they asked us each elevator ride if the lights were going to go out again. They also learned a lesson: No getting on the elevator until an adult is on board first. I guess Faith ran headlong into an elevator and the doors started to close on her. Mary got there in time, but the lesson was well learned and all three kids waited by the open elevator door for an adult to board first. They took this rule very seriously!

That night was really really windy but after dinner we took the kids outside to see Luxor in the dark. They wanted to see the laser that shoots out of the top of it. Halfway out to the parking lot, however, Faith freaked out because of the wind and jumped out of my arms and ran back toward the hotel. I could not coax her out to see the lights so we waited for Brian and her brothers in the safety of the hotel. The winds were really crazy- close to 30mph- and we were glad that our baseball tickets weren't for that night!

Speaking of baseball.... Night #3 was spent at the Las Vegas 51's game- a AAA team that feeds into the Toronto Blue Jays. Weather this night was PERFECT. Everyone enjoyed the game. We met some friendly Red Sox fans behind us who loved the kids and bantered with them the whole game. This is where the kids picked out their souvenier from us. Jake got a 51's baseball hat, Tanner got a 51's clinging monkey stuffed animal, and Faith got (another surprise) a 51's horse stuffed animal. We left in the 7th as it was already almost 10 and we had to drive back to the hotel still! The 51's lost 15-10.

The Lion King

On Monday afternoon I got a call from Auntie Sue from next door. She told me that the hotel was running a "Cutest Kid in Vegas" contest and that OUR KIDS HAD WON. The prize? Tickets for everyone to see The Lion King on Wednesday night. Uh-huh. After a little bit of drama over the generous gesture that Auntie Sue had made (we are so spoiled!!) we were all excited to see The Lion King together. Given that our kids are afraid of mascots (otherwise known as "people dressed up like animals") we were worried that they would be afraid of the show- given that it is made up entirely as people dressed up like animals!!! So we took them to the Lion King store at Mandalay Bay and let them watch a video preview and look through the books of real pictures from the show. We talked to them about what to expect and how none of it was real, etc... etc...

That night Grandma Mary (also prone to spoiling all of us) took us to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. In keeping with The Lion King theme, this restaurant is full of animated animals- very real looking- and has a thunder storm every 22 minutes. Faith was not so sure about this and insisted on sitting on my lap through most of dinner. This is where the kids picked out their souveniers from Grandma. Faith picked out a stuffed elephant. Tanner got a toy that lights up and spins, and Jake got a t-shirt.

We arrived at the theater a few minutes early and after making sure everyone went to the bathroom one last time, we found our seats. Center aisle. Second section back. Amazing seats. Faith sat on Brian's lap the whole time but was truly fascinated by the show. She was also fascinated by the ushers before the show and asked Brian lots of questions about them: Where do they sleep? Do they live here? Do they have homes? Tanner sat next to me and during scary parts hid under his sweatshirt, and had to be reminded frequently that the animals weren't real and that Scar would not come out into the audience, but he, too, loved the show and declared afterwards that he wanted to go every night. Jake, being a Lion King afficionado (his 3rd b'day was Lion King themed) loved the songs and remembered lots of lines from the movie that were also in the play.

It was a truly great experience and one that we will all remember forever.

The Mirage, The Venetian, and the Bellagio.... Oh my!

The last day was one of the best, actually. We woke up intending to take it easy but ended up being out from breakfast until almost 3PM, then again from 5-10PM.

We drove to the Mirage and took the kids to see the dolphins and white tigers. Weather was perfect again. The dolphins were fascinating for the kids- the first time Tanner and Faith had ever seen them in real life. The white tigers gave us a good show, roughhousing with each other and fighting over a big rubber toy. There was also a black panther and several big lions.

After lunch at California Pizza Kitchen we wandered over to the Venetian where the kids watched the gondoliers singing and we strolled through the really expensive mall with the canal running through it. Jake asked if we could ride on one of the gondolas. My first thought was "no" but when he didn't push it but I could see the look of true longing in his eyes, I started to change my mind. For how long will my little boy want to sit in a gondola with me and listen to schmaltzy Italian-esque music being sung by a man pretending to be from Venice??? There was no

begging involved; if there had been, I probably wouldn't have sprung for it, but watching him watch the boats go by I could tell he really, really wanted to do it. So Auntie Sue and I took the boys for a gondola ride (Faith opted out and chose to watch from the many bridges). They loved it and both Auntie Sue and I were so glad that we let them do it and that we got to do it with them.

After long, late afternoon naps we headed back out to see the Bellagio and the Pirate show at Excalibur. By now it was Thursday and the strip was really getting crowded. The pirate show was packed- and a tad bit inappropriate for the children (lots of sexual innuendo and scantily attired pirates both male and female). But there were fireworks and there was fire and cannon ball explosions so everyone enjoyed the show (well... not Faith. She hid behind me most of the time, content to talk to herself and ignore all the action).

The plan was to get some dinner, then head over to the Bellagio. The kids had seen it in the daylight but Tanner really wanted to see it all lit up at night (so did Brian and I). Jake wasn't feeling great (probably all the crappy food we had been feeding him) and the only thing he wanted for dinner was cereal. What the hell, we thought, cereal it is. Each of the kids got a container of cereal and I took them into a Starbucks for the milk and fruit to go with it. Their dinner consisted of frosted flakes and a few pieces of cantelope/strawberries. The adults found a deli and we headed out toward Bellagio. But first, Jake made a pit stop to throw up. Oops. Guess his tummy really wasn't feeling good. Auntie Sue, Grandma, and Jake took a cab home and we took the little ones to see the Bellagio at night. We got there just in time to see "Your Song" by Elton John. They loved it!!! That water show is the best thing ever. I could watch it over and over and over again.

Our last night in Vegas was over. We were heading home at 4:30 the next morning.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Real billboards We Saw on Our Road Trip to Vegas

Guess Which State: Utah or Nevada?

3 Glen Beck Ads

2 Rush Limbaugh Ads

1 "anti- evolution" church ad

"What Happens in Vegas God Sees"

and, on the other end of the spectrum:

"Adult Superstore next exit: Last Chance to Get off!"

As far as Vegas being kid-friendly, the only thing

that I really worried about (besides having to explain the many people smoking and drinking and gambling of course...) was when we walked past a dancing girl scantily clad in the middle of the Luxor that was entertaining the men that were gambling. She was the only actual show girl we saw. Jake asked me, "Mom, why isn't she wearing any clothes? (for the record she had on skimpy undies and a bra) Doesn't she know that boys might see her???" Um.... yeah. I think that's the point.

Vegas by the Numbers

Number of alcoholic beverages consumed: 2 (1 each on our "date night")

Dollars spent gambling: $2 (slot machine)

Real Cigarettes smoked: 0

Candy cigarettes smoked during Old Maid/Go Fish/Crazy 8 playing: 1 pack

Stuffed animals Faith wanted: 200

Stuffed animals Faith got: 3 (one from us, one from Auntie Sue, one from Grandma)

Children that threw up: 2 (Tanner the first night, Jake the last night)

Number of times we saw the Bellagio water show: 3

Gondola rides: 1

Elevator/escalator rides: countless

We arrived in Vegas Sunday afternoon and were greeted by Grandma Mary and Auntie Sue in the lobby. While our room was getting ready we went up to their room (right next door to ours) and the kids played the first of MANY rounds of cards- complete with chocolate cigarettes and a card shuffler. Cards were definitely the activity of choice

whenever we were in our hotel room (which wasn't that much, come to think of it...). There was a snack and goody drawer already set up in their room with squirt guns for the pool, new

bathing suits, books for everyone, crayons, and more.

The kids loved the elevator and escalators, the hotel

room keys, and the tram that took us between the nearby casinos. Tanner and Faith liked to pretend to drive the tram, while Jake liked to see if he could stand in the middle of it and balance without moving his feet. Mostly they loved the fountains- which could be found in every casino. We had to have a steady supply of pennies ready each time we left our room. Tanner also had a strange affinity for casino floors. He would jump off the steps, land, and roll on the floor for a few feet. No matter what we did he continued to do this move- in Paris, Venetian, Monte Carlo, Caesars, Luxor, Bellagio, and more. Something about casino carpet moved him, I guess (shudder to think about how filthy that carpeting must be).

One of the big highlights for all the kids was finally seeing the real Bellagio. Their entire lives Brian has been "doing the Bellagio" in the pool or hot tub- it is simply him spraying water up through his hands at various heights- but they have been hearing about the Bellagio water show for years and years so the anticipation for seeing the real show was huge. It didn't disappoint. We caught the show on Day 2. The song was "One" and the kids loved it. Tanner especially! We took a video of the entire thing just to capture his joy and awe at the sight.

One of Faith's favorite things was simple: The bathrooms in Paris. She loved the floral sinks and each time we went into a bathroom anywhere in Vegas after that (countless BTW...) she was a little disappointed that there "weren't pretty sinks in there".

All of the kids also loved the pool, of course. It was only 3 feet deep and it was really big. Tanner was so proud of himself that he could stand in it and touch the bottom all the way across. Jake and Brian swam together while Faith rode on Brian's back.

We played musical beds all week: Jake alternated between Auntie Sue and Grandma, Faith rotated between Brian and I, Tanner slept with all of us at one time or another. Through the miracle of texting we could check between rooms on when everyone woke up and was ready to start the day.

Because we are relegated for the time being to vacation locations that we can drive to (5 airline tix? Are you kidding me?) Vegas was a great mix of fun and sun for both adults and kids and a great change from our typical camping and CA trips. Next road trip? Well, we are hoping to plan a 2 week trip to see some major league ball parks sometime in the next few years.

Snaggletooth

That's what we have taken to calling Jake. He's a little bit behind the curve as far as losing his baby teeth goes. He has lost a few, but the last one is a little bit of a doozy.

It started out on the side and has moved around into the front and is a little sideways. It had us concerned enough that it warranted a trip to the dentist who said that all was well but if it wasn't out in 30 days to bring him in and he'd take it out.

Jake has been wiggling it a lot, but it's still hanging on and we're fast approaching the 30 day limit. So Snaggletooth will be leaving our house one way or another soon enough.

Sleepless In Salt Lake City

We decided to split the drive to Vegas up by spending one night in SLC on "our way" there. It isn't actually on the way it turns out (my geography being a little off) but it split a 12 hour drive into two nice six hour shifts. Anyway, we got there about 6, just in time to watch the Utah Jazz/Laker playoff game from our room- where we could see the actual stadium only a few blocks away out our window! We ordered pizza for the kids, then took turns working out. The kids worked on mother's day cards for me while hiding behind the curtains. All was well.... until Tanner threw up. Luckily it wasn't the stomach flu - something just didn't agree with his tummy I guess. Good news for us, for sure.

Sleeping arrangements were a challenge: Two double beds. Double. Brian and I are used to a King. And the kids wanted to sleep with us (bad habit we started a long time ago). So... Faith volunteered to sleep on the floor between the beds. Once again proving to be braver than either of her weenie brothers. So Jake and Brian took one bed, Tanner and I took the other. It was late by the time the game ended. Faith was NOT TIRED, as evidenced by her singing loudly from the center of the room, talking to herself, and just generally playing between the beds. Finally she fell asleep around 10:30.

Then, 2:30 we were all awakened by a muffled terrified screaming of "Mama! Mama!!" Groggy, I looked down on the floor to find Faith and after some light adjustment found that she was nowhere in sight. Slightly panicked but still half asleep I poked around down in the blankets, still hearing her muffled cries. Now I was really worried. I woke Brian up to see if she had climbed into bed with him. Nope. Finally we figured out that she had rolled under Brian's bed. All the way under. There was a bed skirt so she was completely hidden from sight and she was a good 12-24 inches under there. I pulled her out with some effort and calmed her down. I figured she would want to sleep with me in the bed so I put her in between Tanner and I. Nope. She cried and wanted to be back on the floor. Very brave girl. Still, there was little sleep to be had from that point on. Brian and the boys went downstairs around 7 to get me a Mother's Day latte and we departed for Las Vegas soon after.

BTW.... Utah lost the game.

All Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the little kids daycare provider is off on her honeymoon next week, so obviously the day care is closed for that week.

That left us two choices:

1) Stay home and try to work full time jobs with Tanner and Faith home all day next week, trying to farm them out as much as possible without resorting to massive amounts of televison and dealing with the enormous parental guilt that would surely develop, as it always does. "How do stay-at-home parents do this?" morphing quickly into, "Is there something wrong with us that we're going crazy?"which always leads to the two of us inventing things to fight about just to deal with our raw nerve endings by the end of the week.

OR

2) Hit the road! We're not paying for day care this week so there's a little bit of found money there, which we have decided to burn thru in gasoline. We're going to Vegas BABY! We went to Las Vegas on our honeymoon and have always had a soft spot in our hearts for Sin City. Since neither of us drink (well.... not much), gamble, or smoke it seems an odd choice but we have been trying to figure out how/when to get back for years. Again, some parents would have picked Disney something, but we're going someplace you get free porn handed to you on every corner. That says A LOT about us as parents I am sure, but I'm so excited I don't even care.

We're meeting Auntie Sue and Grandma Mary in Vegas for a twisted sort of Mother's Day celebration thing. Adjoining rooms- and for once we won't be outnumbered by the kids! We'll post when we get back, but we're going to hit some shows, see a minor league baseball game (the Las Vegas 51's) and eat a bunch of bad food. I'm so excited I can't wait.

See you when we get back!

Rockies v. Angels

Well we're three games into Jake's Rookie League season and he's doing amazingly well so far. It's a pitching machine league, and when I got Jake in front of the machine over the winter he struggled keeping up with it, so I was prepared for a tough start to the season at least, but not so. He's 5-6 so far and batting .833 with 3 RBI. His one ground out last night was a well hit ball that drove in a run.The team is doing well also, havingwon two games and tied the third. They are having a blast. They are rotating positions, but so far Jake has thrown a runner out from 2nd base and tagged out a runner out at third. He's playing a little catcher as well which he seems to enjoy.

I'm liking this season and league better than T-Ball also. I don't know why, but I love the fact that they keep score. There aren't posted standings, but I just like to know if they are winning or losing. I wouldn't have guessed that would have mattered to me, but I do enjoy it. I am also liking "Assistant Coaching". You run the machine for your own teams, so I have been feeding pitches for our hitters (always in fear that I'm going to strike Jake out) and running the 3rd base side defense. I don't have to deal with the kids in the dugout which was always the worst and there's no logistics to have to deal with. I just show up at game time and help out. Next year I'm back to coaching T-Ball for Tanner, so this is a nice break.

Today we have to get Jake signed up for football (which runs from August to October) this morning, then Tanner has a soccer game, then Jake has a make-up baseball game then we are heading to the Steelheads playoff hockey game downtown tonight, so it's gonna be a busy day, but it should be a lot of fun.